Toy musical instrument



Jan. 23; 1940.

G. PROELSDORFER TOY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed April 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 23, 1940. G. PROELSDORFER 2,188,157 l* TOY MUSICAL yINSTRUMENT Filed April 18, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in toy musical instruments, and the invention has reierence, more particularly, to toy instruments provided with vibratory reeds for producing musical sounds.

The invention has for an object to provide a simple, easily made and inexpensive toy musical instrument body including novel means for assembling therewith and retaining in operative relation thereto the reed plate element by which the musical tones are produced.

The invention has for another object to provide a toy musical instrument comprising a tubular paper or cardboard body into which the breath of the player may be blown to escape through vents or openings in the side thereof, novel means being provided for interposing, between the interior of the body and said vents or openings, the vibratory reeds by which the desired musical tonesI are produced; the sounding of the reeds being controlled by selectively stopping and opening the side vents or openings by means of the fingers, or by means of inanipulatable mechanical stops.

The invention has for another object to provide a toy musical instrument of the kind mentioned which is of greatly simplied design and of low cost construction, and wherein the means for operatively mounting a reed plate therein is of such character as to considerably reduce the labor and cost of production, While at the same time so arranging and closely disposing the reed plate relative to the vents or openings that the reeds carried by the plate are respectively operatively associated only with the respective vents or openings by which they are served, with out necessity for furnishing partitioning or air flow interrupting means between adjoining vents or openings and their associated reeds; all whereby the sounding of reeds other than the desired reed is prevented when a given vent or opening is opened.

Other objects of the invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

Illustrative embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of one embodiment of a toy musical instrument made according. to this invention.; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the instrument body with parts breken away and shown in section so as to disclose internal construction, said view being drawn on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View, taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 1, but drawn on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View of a modi- Y ned form of the toy musical instrument strucg 5 ture; and Fig. 6 is also a transverse sectional View of another modified form of the instrument.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of still another modied form of the instrument structure; and Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view thereof, taken on line 8 8 in Fig. 7.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

In one illustrative embodiment of this invention, the novel toy musical instrument comprises a tubular body A having aiiixed to one end thereof a suitable mouthpiece B, provided with an axial passage C, and having, axed to its opposite end, an imperforate closure member or plug D, the outer end portion of which is suitably shaped to simulate the appearance of a flared or bell-shaped outer end of a conventional musical instrument.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tubular body A is made of paper, cardboard or the like, in such manner as to provide a plurality of concentrically related plies, comprising an outer ply IG, and intermediate ply II and an inner' ply I2. Provided in the outer ply I is a series of longitudinally spaced vents or openings i3, the number of which may be optionally varied according to the type of conventional musical instrument to be simulated. Ordinarily the vents or openings would be eight in number, corresponding to the number of notesI in a major musical scale.

The reference character I4 indicates a reed plate. This reed plate usually comprises a rectangular metallic strip or plate having longi`t tudinally extending air passage slots I corresponding in number and spacing to the number and spacing of the Vents or openings I3 with which the body section A is provided. Aii'ixed to the underside of said plate I4 are the butt por tions IS of vibratory reeds I'l. Said reeds Il are respectively registered in alignment with the respective air passage slots I5 so as to be vibrated, with musical tone producing eiect, when air is permitted to pass through said slots and thence outwardly through an associated vent or opening I3 in the outer ply II'J of the body A.

Formed in the intermediate ply I i of the body A is an elongated opening I8 which is sized to t the reed plate I4, so that the latter may be'- lodged therein. Formed in the inner ply I2 of the body A is an elongated opening I9 which is of less length and width than are the corresponding dimensions of said opening I8 of said intermediate ply II, so that, when said opening I9 is registered and aligned with said opening I8, a seating ledge 2U is provided upon and by which the side and end marginal portions of the reed plate I4 are supported, when the intermediate and inner plys II and I2 are respectively telescopically assembled together and, in turn, entered within the outer ply I0 to assemble the various parts together in operative relation so as to produce the completed tubular body of the musical instrument.

It will be observed that the structure described is not only very simple and inexpensive per se, but also provides a very simple and eicient means for supporting the reed plate I4 relative to the control vents or openings I3, whereby the reed plate is not only strongly and immovably held in position but is likewise so disposed in such close underlying relation to the outer ply I0 as to substantially avoid intercommunicating air passages between any given vent or opening I3 and reeds other than the reed directly underlying said vent or opening, i. e., between said given vent or opening I3 and reeds longitudinally removed therefrom. By reason of such structural arrangement, the path of least resistance of air iiow from the interior of the body A to any given opened Vent or opening I3 lies only past and through the reed and associated reed plate air passage slot I5 which is located directly beneath and in intended operative relation to said given vent or opening I3. By reason of this construction, necessity for introducing partitioning material or means intermediate adjacent associated vent openings and sounding reeds is avoided, and consequently undesired sounding of any reeds except the particular reed governed by the opening of a given vent or opening I3 is' eliminated.

As shown in Fig. l, if it be so desired, manipulatable mechanical stop means of any well known construction may be employed to normally close the vents or openings I3 of the instrument, or these vents or openings may be closed and opened merely by application oi' the players ngers thereto. An illustrative form of manipulatable mechanical stop means comprises, a base plate 2| suitably affixed to the exterior of the body A adjacently parallel to the row of vents or openings I3 thereof. Struck up from said base plate are fulcruming ears 22 to cooperate with corresponding hinge ears 23 with which the finger levers 24 of vent or opening stop members 25 are provided. Said fulcruming ears 22 and hinge ears 23 are pivotally joined by a hinge pintle wire 26 arranged to extend therethrough. Spring means 21 is provided in operative relation to each finger lever 24 adapted to yieldably turn the same about its pivotal connection so as to normally hold its stop member 25 in closed relation to the vent or opening I3 served thereby. By selectively pressing upon the free end portions of the finger levers 24, the stop members 25 may be moved to vent uncovering position as required.

Referring now to Fig. 5 of the drawings, a somewhat modiiied construction of the tubular body A is shown, the same comprising a two-ply structure consisting oi an outer ply 2B and an inner ply 29. The outer ply 28 is provided with the row of longitudinally spaced vents or openings 30. Formed in the wall of the inner ply 29, to underlie the row of vents or openings 30 in said outer ply 28, is a longitudinally extending depressed portion or inwardly offset portion 3I adapted to provide, beneath the outer ply 2B, a trough-like seat 32 of a length and width adapted to conform to the reed plate I4. Said reed plate I4 is lodged in said seat 32 so as to be immovably held therein with its air passage slots I5 and associated reeds I7 respectively operatively related to and beneath the respective vents or openings 3G. The bottom of said depressed or offset portion 3I is provided with a longitudinal opening 32' of less width and length than the reed plate I4, whereby air now communication is established between the interior of the body A and the air passage slots I5 of said reed plate. It will be obvious that this modified construction of body A possesses all the advantages of the rst described construction, while at the same time being somewhat simpler in form, and requiring somewhat less material in the make up of the tubular body.

A still simpler construction of tubular body A is shown in Fig. 6, wherein the same comprises a single ply tubular body 33, having a row of longitudinally spaced vents or openings 34. In this construction, the reed plate I4 is disposed against the inner side of the body 33 so that its air passage slots I5 and associated reeds I'I respectively underlie the respective Vents or openings 34. Means are provided for retaining the reed plate in place as so disposed, which in one form comprises spaced transverse staples 35, the legs 36 of which are driven inwardly through the material of the body 33 and so as to straddle the reed plate I4, whereupon the free end portions of said legs 36 are turned angularly to provide clenching arms 3l to engage over the underside of the reed plate so as to retain the same in place against the inner surface of the tubular body 33. It will be apparent, that as thus disposed and held closely adjacent to the inner surface of said tubular body 33, effective intercommunication between any given vent 34 and reeds longitudinally removed therefrom is avoided, in the same manner and with the same advantages already above referred to.

In Figs. 7 and 8 there is shown another construction of simple form, similar to that of Fig. 6, wherein the instrument body comprises a single ply tube 38 having the longitudinally spaced vents or openings 39. The reed plate I4 is positioned against the inner side of the tubular body 38 so that its air passage slots I5 and associated reeds Il respectively underlie the respective vents or openings 3B. The means for securing the reed plate I II in place comprise tubular` metallic eyelets 43 having annular flanges 4I at their outer ends, and dametrically opposite clenching lugs 42 extending from their inner ends. These eyelets 4) approximate in depth the thickness of the wall of the tubular body 38, and the inside diameters thereof approximate the width of the reed plate I4, while their outside diameters approximate the diameters of the vents or openings 38, so as to se adapted to be entered therethrough in tting -felation thereto. To assemble the elel i ments of the structure, the eyelets 49 are respectively inserted through the several vents or openings 38 until the flanges 4I seat upon the marginal portions of the latter. When the eyelets 48 are thus positioned, the clenching lugs 42 thereof will straddle the sides of the reed plate I4: whereupon said clenching lugs are turned angularly inward over and upon the underside of said reed plate, whereby the same serve to securely retain the reed plate in place against the inner surface of the tubular body 38, with the reeds and air passage slots thereof in operative relation to the several vents or openings 39. g

Since many changes and modifications of the toy musical instrument, in addition to those already mentioned, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

l. In a toy musical instrument, a tubular body comprising concentric outer and inner portions, the outer portion having longitudinally spaced vents pierced therethrough, the inner portion having an outwardly open seating channel means, a reed plate having air passage slots and vibratory reeds afxed thereto with their free ends registered over said slots, said reed plate being seated in said seating channel means so as to be held thereby flatly and closely contiguous to the under side of said outer portion with its slots and reeds closely underlying the vents of the latter,

and said seating channel means having an opening in the bottom thereof for communicating air from the tubular body interior to said air passage slots of said reed plate.

2. In a toy musical instrument, a tubular body comprising a plurality of concentric contiguous sections including an outer section having longitudinally spaced Vents pierced therethrough, an intermediate section, and an inner section; a, reed plate having air passage slots and vibratory reeds aiiixed thereto with their free ends registered over said slots; said intermediate section having a longitudinal opening sized to fit and receive said reed plate therein, whereby the latter is disposed flatly and closely contiguous to the inner side of said outer section with its slots and reeds closely underlying the vents of the latter; and said inner section having a longitudinal opening of less yover all dimensions than those of the opening of said intermediate section and adapted to be aligned with the latter, to thereby provide supporting ledge means for said reed plate and means for communicating air from the tubular body interior to said air passage slots of said reed plate.

GUsTAV PROELSDORFER. 25 

